Bluff Spring Journal
Current Journal 2007
September 1st, 2007
Before I get to September I need to do a little updating for the last days of August.
My lovely bride and I celebrated out 20th wedding anniversary. We had a great day during which I had 20 people call her and wish her a happy anniversary and also tell her that her husband loved her. Everyone from her parents to my mom, sister, brothers, our pastor's wife, several friends called her all day long. I also sent her a dozen red roses (more about those later) and ended the evening with a beautiful meal graced by a beautiful sunset as if God was adding his best wishes to our celebration.
We also gave each other a gift that many of you might not think of as a romantic kind of gift, but for us it was a remembrance of the same gift we gave each other on our 10th anniversary. A printer. 10 years ago we had a discussion about what to get each other and decided that a printer would be the best gift we could give each other. We both do a lot of work at home and really needed a good quality color printer. I must say that I went out and got the best color printer on the market. It still produces great quality documents but by today's standards is pretty slow. We again had the same discussion on what to get each other and with a slight nostalgia for our 10th anniversary we decided on another printer. Off I went again on a search for a color printer and for the same money I spent 10 years ago we now have a color laser printer that looks a lot like R2D2.
Now for the roses. As the week of our anniversary ended my lovely wife had enjoyed the roses in her office and since it was Friday she decided to take them home and enjoy them over the weekend. The dozen roses were in a large glass vase which she held in one hand while managing a brief case in her other hand as she headed out of her office and down the stairs leading from her second floor office. What happened next is a little unclear to her. But somewhere between the 1st and 2nd stair her foot did not land completely on the stair and she took a tumble down the ten steps to the 1st floor landing. As she fell the vase full of roses proceeded her and shattered on the floor. Trying to catch herself with an outstretched hand she encountered the broken glass on the landing. Later she remembered thinking she had to keep her face from landing in the broken shards. This attempt to stop her fall resulted in the glass slicing through the palm of her hand at the base of her thumb.
Anita and I work in the same building with my office on the 1st floor and her office on the 2nd floor. From my office I heard the sound of breaking glass and thought that it was not a good sound. My anxiety level was heightened though as I heard Anita's voice calling my name. I quickly ran to the stairs and met her half way down the second flight of stairs grasping a profusely bleeding hand. Later she told me that the thumb was completely bending over the back of her hand and she had to grab it with her good hand and force it back into her palm.
We went immediately to the kitchen where we grabbed several paper towels to apply pressure to the wound. As we stood at the sink I held her around the waist knowing that fast blood loss is often accompanied by dizziness and I didn't want her to fall and sustain even more injuries. A week later she was to tell me that this small act caused her to think in her mind that now that I was there she was going to be ok. I'm glad she felt that way because I was thinking that this much blood loss meant real damage and that the best thing to do was to get to a hospital. And that is exactly what we did. We spent the next eight hours in the hospital. A few in the ER and later, two hours of surgery for Anita. We were very fortunate in that one of the best hand surgeons in the city was on call to attend to Anita. She informed us that the radial flexor tendon, all the muscles except for one and all the nerves had been severed in her right hand. The gash took over 65 stitches to close.
The next few months of recovery will be hard for Anita. But, I have no doubt that she will make it through with flying colors. The doctor says that it will be 1 to 1/2 years before Anita will have full functionality of her hand. Her therapy will begin in about 4 weeks. This will give her hand time to heal so that she will not undo the reattachment of all the tendons, blood vessels and nerves.
Her co workers have been the best. They've brought us meals, sent cards and phone calls with best wishes. The meals have been especially helpful. They're a great group. We were amused however when one delivery of flowers arrived in a 'glass' vase. We've had some fun giving them a hard time about that one.
I'm trying hard to be a good nurse and help as much as she'll let me. It could have been worse. No broken bones and no other cuts except for a 1/4 inch cut on the little finger of her left hand. She's a brave trooper and is trying to do as much as possible for herself. This fierce independence is one reason I married her but she is now learning that accepting help is ok and that it doesn't mean you are a weak person. Just a person who is deeply loved.
August 31st-
Anita update. The stitches are out and the wound is healing nicely. The pain medicine has been, no pun intended, a real pain. It's caused my lovely wife several bouts of nausea but after a change of prescriptions she is doing better. And, being the stubborn person she is, she is keeping her promise to take her parents to a Cardinals ball game and to a steel guitar convention in St. Louis. I'm doing the driving but I know the ride will cause her discomfort.
Late night update--The Cardinals won in a comebacker. Ankiel hit a grand slam and the Cardinals remain in the play off hunt.
September 1st
While Anita is resting and attending a few of the steel guitar convention performances with her dad I'm off to see a nature photography exhibit. Lee Shannon Rhoades is having an exhibit at the World Trade Center and I always enjoy learning from others. The exhibit was motivating as I decided I needed to spend more time honing my craft if I am ever to produce this quality of work.
Late night update--We got to hear Don Helms (Hank William's steel guitar player) and Buddy Emmons, the world's foremost steel guitarist.
September 3rd
Off to the river with Sid. He had a ball racing up and down the river. No fear as he swam across the stream as many as 8 to 10 times. Not bad for an 8 month old puppy.
He loves the water. Can't wait to teach him to fish!